Cable-sealing fitting



Feb. 20, 1951 w, T, SHEA, JR 2,542,583

CABLE-SEALING FITTING Filed Jan. 25, 1949 IN V EN TOR.

MAL/,4M TSA/EA, T72., g n l 6 prior Patented Feb. 20, `1951 UN lT ED: STAT ES PAT ENT OfF FICE CABLE+SEALING FITTING WilliamT.' Shea, Jr., Bellflower, Calif.

ApplicationL January 25, 1949;l Serial-No.. 72,684-

2 Claims. (Cl. 285-30) This.k invention4 relates.` to: improvements. in marine. nttings. or devices particularly. adapted to provide: a water-tight pressureffltting. around electrical cables or conduits at thefpointfwhere the cables. pass throughl bulkheads, so that a plurality of leak-proofv compartmentsar-e. formed in the? holdA of the ship for localizing flooding when; damage to. theship occurs.

Pressure-tight fittings provided for passage of -marinefcommunications and power cables through bulkheads usedheretofore, comprise a tubular member encirclingl a cable passing through a bulkhead,v said tubular member being welded to the bulkhead around. the cable opening, The open'. end. of. theA tube is internally threaded, and in the annular'spacebetween. the tubeand. the cable, a packing. gland ofstring material is wound around the cable4 and hammered into the annular space. Ametal ring is then. placed on the top ofl the hammered packing material,4 and a nut having externalY threads is. threaded into engagement with the top. The inner annular face of said nut has bearing against. the` metal ring and further compresses. the. packing mate-,- rial as the nut is tightened.

It is obvious that removal. of the. cable from thel fitting is very difficult and'. awkward inthe construction above described. because special tools are requiredto pick outthe. annular ring pressed within the tube, and then toremove the compressedl packing, material. The only working space available is the annular space between the inner face ofthe tube. and the outer cylindricalv face of. the cable.

Maintenance and. repair work on ships often vrequire the rerouting of the electrical distribution system and the removal of cablesfrom theii1 existing installations. The primary object of this invention is' to provide a` marine packing gland device which will permit removal of', pack'- ing gland: material from such a device with a maximum of ease, without the use of special tools and without damagev to the cable.

This invention rcontemplates a packing gland device wherein the packing .material is tightly compressed between the associated cableandv a pair of relatively movable membersH in order to afford a pressure-tight, leak-proof fitting. It is understoodof course, that this novel arrangement may be used in marine and othertypes of installations where a pressure-tight fitting is required.

Another object of this invention is to provide an improved packing gland device whichy may be quickly assembled and'whi'ch affordspressuretight ttings meeting all the standards and specifications required for marine installations.

An object is to provide a fitting which can be easily installed in a bulkhead, through which a cable or other conductor may be readily passed', which can be easily tightened tov provide a. firm and positive seal: aroundV thev cable, and which can be easily loosened to completely expose.l the end and sides ofv apacking' ('notprefabricated). to

permita thef removal of' the. packingA Without tools or injury tothe cable.

A further. object. of this. invention is to. provide an. improved packing, gland4 device4 in whichY the packing` materialmay bey readily removed without; the useA of'. special tools.

Still another object of: this invention is to provide a packing gland device which is.l simple, efficient, andi readily manufactured with. a. minimum number of parts.

Other objects and advantages of this invention willV become readily apparent to those skilled inthe; art from the following description and claims.

In the,v drawings:

Fig. 1 is al sectional view of a packing gland devicey embodying this.. invention.

Fig. 2 is aside View partially in section of aY modification of the packing, gland arrangementv shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is as ectional View of a diiferent modi ncation of this invention.

Eig. 4 is a sectional view of still another modlcation of this invention.

Referring particularly to Fig. l, which shows a. preferred embodiment of this invention, the packing gland device, indicated in its entirety by I, is` shown rigidly attached to a bulkhead 01 wall 2. The` bulkhead 2 forms a water-tight partition between adjacent compartments or holds. of av ship: for the purpose of localizing flooding, of the. holds when and if` damage. to the shipoccurs. The bulkhead. 2 may be drilled at. 3w to; provide any opening through which a suitably sheathed or armored cable or conduit 4. may pass. The cable 4 may be orwell-known type. comprising a. plurality of pairs of insulated wiresi affording communication circuits, or it may be a power cable for controllingl various electrical apparatus on the ship.

The packing gland device I includes a hollow tubular'body member 5 having a hanged shoulder Ii` at one` end forv fixedly securing the tubular member 5 byy welding at l to the bulkhead 2. The other end of the tubular body 5 is provided with an externally threaded portion 8, and internally the inner surface of the tubular member 5 may be provided with an outwardly flared or' tapered face 9 adjacent such end.

A hollow nut ID is provided with an internally threaded portion I I which is adapted to threaded- 1y engage the; external threads 3 on the tubular member 5. The outer surface of the nut Ill may be ofl hexagonal form to afford easy grasping of the nut by suitable tools. The nut IQ is provided with an inwardly directed, annular flange I2 defining a circular opening I3 for passage therethrough of the cable Il. The inner surface or flange I2 provides a seat at I f1V for a metal, annular pressure ring I5.

Thev ringl I5 carried within the hollow nut I Il may be. formedl withY a generally wedge-shaped cross: section presenting. a tapered face. I6 outwardly daring from the butt end of the ring to its other end. The tapered face I6 is opposed to the tapered face 9 on the tubular member 5, While the butt end is in contact with the seat I4 of flange I2 of nut l0.

Encircling the cable 4 outwardly of the end of the tubular member and interposed between the tapered faces I6 and 9 are packing means I1 comprising any suitable packing material such as suitably impregnated string or cord. The packing means may, if desired, be made of a preformed rubber composition material. The packing means I1 is readily compressible to form a tight seal between the cylindrical surface of the cable and the opposed tapered faces 9 and Iii.

Installation of this novel packing gland device may be made as follows. The entire device I consisting of the tubular member 5, the holow nut I0, and the annular ring I5 may be handled as a unit and aligned with the opening 3 in the bulkhead for welding of the tubular member to the bulkhead as at 1. After the welding operation is complete, the cable 4 may then be passed through the packing gland device and the opening 3 in the bulkhead. After the cable has been positioned and pulled tight, the holow nut lil may be backed off the threaded portion 8, carrying with it the annular ring I5. After it is re tracted a convenient working distance, packing material of the cord-like type may be wound around the cable 4 adjacent to the outer end of the tubular member 5. After sufficient quantity of packing material has been wound on the cable, the hollow nut l may be moved into engagement with the threads 8 and turned thereon in threaded engagement by any suitable tool. As the nut is tightened, the packing material confined between tapered faces 9, I6 and the cable is compressed by the action of the opposed tapered faces. The nut may be tightened until portions of the packing material extrude from the small space between the cable and the opening i3. Extrusion of said material is an indication that the packing material is sufficiently compressed to aiford a tight seal between the cable, the hollow nut IU and the tubular member 5.

When it is desired to remove the cable 4 from the packing device I for the purpose of rerouting turned so as to unthread it from the tubular member 5. After engagement cf the threaded portions and II have been broken, the nut I9 may be slidably retracted along the cable 4 in order to expose the annular ring I and the sides of the packing material I1. It will be readily welded at 21 to the bulkhead. The opening 22 is drilled of sufficient diameter to permit the passage therethrough of the threaded portion 28 at one end of the tubular member 2l. After the tubular member 2I has been positioned within the opening 22 the space between the outer cylindrical face of the tubular member and the internal surface of the opening 22 may be filled by welding as at 29.

Each end of the packing device 20 may be constructed the same as the packing device I described in Fig. 1. In general, each end comprises the externally threaded portion 28, a hollow nut 3U having internal threads 3| in engagement with threads 28, an annular ring 32 carried within the hollow nut 30, and opposed tapering faces 33 and 34 on the tubular member 2l and ring 34 respectively. Packing means 35 is tightly compressed between the opposed tapering faces by tightening of the nut as in the modification shown in Fig. 1.

In Fig. 3 another modication of this invention is shown. The packing gland device, generally indicated at 4U, comprises a tubular member 4I welded as at 42 at one end to a bulkhead 43. The tubular member 4I is aligned to register with an opening 44 in the bulkhead to permit passage therethrough of a cable 45. The other end of the tubular member 4I is provided with an externally threaded portion 46 and projecting outwardly from the outer termination of the threaded portion 46 is a projection 41 presenting an outwardly flared or tapered internal face 48.

A hollow nut 49 has at one end internal threads 50 for threaded engagement with the threads 4B, and the other end of the nut 49 may be swaged radially inwardly to form an inwardly tapered face 5| terminating in an opening 52 which is of substantially the same diameter as the outer diameter of the cable.

Packing means 53 may be wrapped about the cable outwardly of the end of the projection 41 and after the nut 49 is threaded on the tubular seen that the ring I5 may be easily grasped and i retracted to completely expose all of the packing material so that it is readily accessible for removal. The packing material may then be unwound or cut off from the cable, and the cable is then free to be pulled through the packing gland device.

In Fig. 2 a different embodiment of the packing device shown in 1Fig. l is illustrated, wherein under certain circumstances it may be desirable to provide a packing device on both sides of a bulkhead wall.

The arrangement shown in Fig. 2 comprises a double-ended packing device, generally inthe bulkhead. The annular shoulder 25 may be member 4I, the packing means is confined and tightly compressed between the tapered faces 48 and 5I and the cable 45. The nut 49 is provided with a central portion having hexagonal outer or making possible repairs, the nut [u may be cross section, as indicated by the dotted lines 54, to afford convenient gripping of the nut by a tool.

A still different modification of this invention is shown in Fig. 4, wherein the structure of the f tubular member 50, hollow nut 6I, and hollow frusto-conical member 62 are somewhat diiferent from the structure of corresponding elements described above.

The tubular member has an annular shoulder 63 welded at 64 t0 a bulkhead 65 which has an opening 66 with which the tubular member is aligned to permit the passage therethrough of a cable 51. The cylindrical walls of the tubular member 66 are fiared outwardly at its opposite end 68 to present an upwardly flared, tapered internal face 69. The hollow nut 6I has internal threads 10 in threaded engagement with external threads 1I formed on the outer edge portion of the outwardly flared walls of end 68. The hollow nut 6I is provided with an inwardly, radially directed flange 12 defining a central enlarged port which affords an inner annular seat at 13 for an outwardly directed radial nange 14 on the frustoconical member 62, said member 62 extending longitudinally outwardly through said central port from its engagement with the radial ange 12 of the pressure nut 6 I.

The member 62 may be formed of generally frusto-conical shape having an outer opening 15 of sufficient diameter to permit the cable 61 to pass therethrough. The member 62 rpresents a relatively long, outwardly flared, internal tapered face 76 opposed to the tapered face 69. It should be noted that flange 12 on the nut 6| defines an annular end face opposed to a corresponding annular end face on the outwardly fiared end B8, said end faces lyingr in virtually parallel spaced planes perpendicular to the axis of the tubular member and defining an annular space 78.

Packing means 'Il encircles the cable 61 outwardly of the end 88 and is confined in tight compression between the tapered faces lB9 and 16.

It will be noted in this modification that the packing means 'H may flow or expand radially outwardly into the annuler space 18 for compression between the opposed end faces of the tubular member 69 and ring 62 and the threaded portion of the hollow nut 6|. As the nut 6I is drawn tight, the packing means mav also extrude through the opening 'l5 around the cable 61.

It will thus be obvious to those skilled in the art that the various modifications of the packing gland arrangement described above provide an efficient pressure-tight, water-tight seal especially adaptable for use in marine installations Where working space is usually at a minimum. It should also be noted that in each of the modifications above described, removal of the packing means to permit work on the cable or conduit passing therethrough may be readily and efficiently accomplished in a minimum of time because removal of the nut exposes the sides of the compressed packing material so that it may readily be grasped, cut, or unwound from the cable without the use of special tools. Known marine packing devices do not expose the packing material upon removal of a packing nut; but, instead, the packing material is tightly compressed in the bottom of a packing tube and it is extremely difficult and tedious to pick out the packing material by insertion of special tools into the small annular space between the cable and the tube.

While the packing material described above is of cord or string type which may `be readily wound around the cable in desired quantity, the packing may comprise a Single preformed washer of suitable compressible material such as rubber or rubber composition. Such a rubber washer may be formed with tapered faces on opposite ends complementary to the opposed tapered faces formed on the tubular member and the hollow nut or annular packing ring.

The above packing arrangement is inexpensive to manufacture because of its relatively few parts of simple form and structure, these parts being a tubular member for attachment to the bulkhead, a hollow nut, and an annular ring. In Fig. 3 it should be noted that the parts of the packing arrangment are reduced to two elements, namely the packing tube 4I and the hollow nut 49.

It is understood, of course, that the above modifications of this invention are illustrative only and that it is not intended that the scope of this invention be limited except by the claims appended hereto.

I claim:

1. A cable-sealing fitting comprising: a hol- 10W tubular member having a bore in alignment with an aperture in a bulkhead and having one end secured to said bulkhead; said tubular member having an opposite end provided with an outwardly flaring frusto-conical wall with external threads on the circumferential edge ,thereof and presenting an internal outwardly flaring tapered surface and an end face lying in a plane perpendicular to the axis of th-e member; an internally threaded hollow pressure nut in threaded engagement with said external threads on said wall, said nut being provided with a radial inwardly extending lip dening a port and an internal shoulder; an elongated frustoconical sleeve member provided with a radial outwardly extending flange received within said hollow pressure nut and adapted to seat against the internal shoulder` thereon, said flange presentinq an end face lying in a plane parallel to and spaced from the end face of said wall, said sleeve member extending outwardly through said aperture and having an internal frusto-conical tapered pressure surface inclined oppositely to the outwardly flaring surface on the tubular member whereby removable packing :interposed between the pressure surfaces on said sleeve member and body member may be compressed about a cable extending through the tting, the packing being extrudable through the outer end of said sleeve member and being expandable and compressible between the end faces of the sleeve member and the tubular member.

2. A marine cable-sealing fitting comprising: a hollow tubular member having a bore to be aligned with a port in a bulkhead and having one end adapted to be secured to the bulkhead; said tubular member having an opposite end provided with an outwardly flaring wall with external threads on the circumferential edge thereof and presenting an internal outwardly flaring pressure surface; an internally threaded hollow pressure nut in threaded engagement with the external threads on said wall, said nut being provided with an inwardly extending flange defining a central port and an internal shoulder; a tapered sleeve member provided with a radial outwardly extending flange accommodated within said pressure nut and in cooperative engagement with the internal shoulder, said sleeve member extending through said port and therebeyond and presenting an internal tapered pressure surface inclined oppositely to the tapered Surface on the tubular member, whereby removable packing interposed between th-e pressure surfaces on the sleeve member and the tubular member may be tightly compressed about a cable extending through the tting.

WILLIAM T. SHEA, Ja.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 762,545 Merriam June 14, 1904 1,391,396 McMurtrie Sept. 20, 1921 1,805,155 Weeks May 12, 1931 2,464,332 Maund et al. Mar. 15, 1949 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 268,162 Great Britain Mar. 31, 1927 

